'Twas the day before Christmas; no gifts ‘neath the tree
He wondered how in the world this much could be
Where has the time gone; how the season flew
The time left to shop was just about through
He ran to the kitchen, in search of car keys
Please let them be near --- please, oh, pretty please
The hours were ticking; time was not his friend
His purchases needed to come by day’s end.

He ran to the driveway at a sprinter’s pace
Hoping that he could still find a parking place
He circled and circled the lot, more than twice
Because last year’s gift card just would not suffice
He needed something that would blow her away
To make up for waiting ‘til the final day
The minutes kept passing; inching towards the night
When a Christmas blessing appeared in his sight.

Above the Mall lamppost, there came a shrill sound
This startled the man, as he hurried around
He looked in the distance, across the dark sky
To see Old St. Nick and his reindeer pass by
The man, now excited, raced back to his Jeep
But, it appeared Santa had pegged him as cheap
Back into the mall, the man flew with a clatter
To find any gift; its value would not matter.

The man, now convinced that he’d failed, once again
Bought a greeting card and then, took out a pen
To write down his feelings, in hopes they would do
For the perfect present he had not a clue
He drove through the night, as the mist began falling
With visions that his wife would resort to bawling
Since, certainly, there would be no real elation
Because he resorted to procrastination.

The man arrived home and went quickly to bed
His body was weary; his mind filled with dread
While tossing and turning, unable to sleep
He thought of the promises he did not keep
The man felt dejected ‘til he heard a banging
Near the fireplace, where his stocking was hanging
He turned on the light to find a box and note
As well as three fibers from a large red coat.

"You work hard all year, so you deserve a break
I’ll help you this time, but please make no mistake
Next year, I’ll be watching, as you pace and groan
And, if you wait this long, you’ll be on your own
Enjoy the box and the contents inside
And give my best wishes to your lovely bride
Now, I must move on to others in need
Merry Christmas, my friend; Merry Christmas, indeed."

The man opened the box, neatly tied in a bow
Then, noted the diamond’s most beautiful glow
When sunrise appeared, his wife let out a sigh
Thankful he had not let that Christmas pass by
Back at the North Pole, Santa’s hard work was done
Countless men had been saved; men held under the gun
By a calendar whose days had so quickly passed
The procrastinators who needed a gift fast.

© 2007 – Jill Eisnaugle’s Poetry Collection